Corner finishing member



P 0, 1940. E. SWEDMAN 2,214,187

CORNER FINISHING MEMBER Filed Dec. 15, 1937 I N VEN TOR.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 10, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CORNER FINISHING MEMBER- Application December 15, 1937, Serial No. 179,911

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a corner finishing member for refrigerators and the like, where it is desirable to provide a finished corner means in joining non-metallic finishing strips made of 5, plastic sheet material, or phenol or other nonmetallic products.

In present refrigerators where the inside of the refrigerator cabinet and the doors are covered with an enamelled sheet metal lining and the l outsides thereof are also covered with an enamelled sheet metal covering, it is desirable to cover the adjacent edges of these enamelled metal coverings with a non-metallic sheet member so as to form a finishing strip about the door openings and around the inside of the doors. In finishing refrigerator cabinets in this manner it has been a difiicult problem to provide a neatly finished corner because it is hard to fit the non-metallic strips together at the corners. This invention provides a corner finishing means of a simple nature which may be formed of stainless steel or plastics, and which is designed to slip into place to provide a finishing corner means for the door opening and also for the corners of the door where the non-metallic finishing strips are used.

A feature resides in forming from a single piece of sheet material, such as stainless steel or other similar material, a channel member with side wing portions which fit under the non-metallic finishing strips and with a center corner portion which may be rounded in a convex curve for the door portion, and in a concave curve for the doorway portion in the cabinet, which provides the finishing corner means supported by the nonmetallic resinous or plastic strips. The finishing corner members are carried by the non-metallic finishing strips so that there is no conductivity by the corner members from the outside sheathing to the inner sheathing.

In the drawing illustrating the invention:

Figure 1 shows a portion of a refrigerator cabinet doorway and a portion of the door in perspective, where the corner finishing members are used.

Figure 2 is a perspective of the corner finishing member with a convex curved plate portion, such as would be used on the door.

Figure 3 illustrates a diagrammatic stamped blank formation, showing the manner in which the corner finishing member is blanked out of a piece of sheet material, and indicating in dotted lines the folding of the same.

Figure 4 illustrates a section of the concaved form of the corner member, on the line 4-4 of Figure 5.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section through the corner member illustrated in Figure 4, on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6--6 of Figure 2. 5

Figure 7 is an enlarged perspective detail of the corner member as it would appear in use on the cabinet.

Figure 8 is an enlarged perspective detail of the corner member in use upon a door.

The drawing illustrates the corner finishing member A with the plate having the convex form and the corner finishing member B with the plate having the concave form.

The door molding corner finishing member A is illustrated attached to the door ID of a refrigerator cabinet, showing the manner in which it covers the strips of the non-metallic molding H which are attached by screws or other means to the door. The strips ll cover the spaced apart edges of the outer sheathing l2 and the inner lining l3 of the door. The sheathings I2 and 13 are made of metal covered with a baked enamel to provide a glass-like finish to the sheathings.

In a refrigerator it is necessary that the edges of the sheathings I2 and I3 be spaced apart so as not to conduct heat or cold through contact of these members. That is the reason that the nonmetallic molding strips I l are used.

The strips l I may be made of any non-metallic material, such as a plastic material, a fibrous material, or a material made of phenol products which are resistant to moisture, and which have a low conductivity of heat or cold.

The door molding corner finishing member A may be made of sheet metal, being preferably of stainless steel, or may be made of plastic material, either molded or formed, and is blanked as illustrated in Figure 3 to form the same with a longitudinally extending body portion M from which project the flanges I5 on either side and which are positioned between the ends of the member A. After the member A has been blanked out of flat sheet stock, it is folded on the dotted lines illustrated in Figure 3, to the shape illustrated in FigureZ, and in the section, Figure 6. In so shaping the corner finishing member A, a convex channel portion I6 is provided, together with the recesses H which are formed by bending the flanges I5, as illustrated in Figure 6. The re- 50 cesses I1 provide a socket into which the nonmetallic finishing moldings II are adapted to fit. Thus the finishing molding II can be covered at the ends by the corner finishing member A. The flanges l5 are narrow so as not to contact with 65 the edges of the sheathings I2 or l3, and the nonmetallic molding strips ll hold the corner 'member A in position to provide a finishing means over the corners of the door. With this door molding corner finishing member A, it is not necessary to bring the non-metallic moldings II to a close fit at the corner, but it is rather desirable that they be spaced apart and thus provide a space for receiving the corner finishing molding member A.

The cabinet B of the refrigerator also employs finishing molding strips II which cover the adjacent spaced apart edges of the outer sheathing l8 and the inner sheathing IQ of the refrigerator cabinet B. The non-metallic molding strips II are held by screws or suitable means to provide a finishing strip for the adjacent edges of the outer and inner sheathings.

A jamb molding corner finishing member A is provided which is virtually identical to the finishing member A, excepting thatit is formed with a concaved channel portion l6 and with an end transverse flange 20. The jamb molding corner is adapted to fit over the ends of the molding H, as illustrated, so as to form, a neat corner finishing member on the jamb in the same manner as the corner finishing member A provides a fin ished corner member for the corners of the door of the refrigerator.

In the member A there are transverse end flanges 2| and 22, the flange 2| projecting from the outer surface of the concaved channel portion [6, and the flange 22 projecting from the inner surface. These flanges may extendat an angleto the body of the channel l5 so as to fit snugly over the corners and form a neat door or jamb molding corner finishing member.

The members A and A are virtually identical excepting that one has a body portion convex in the form of a channel, and the other has a body portion in theform of a channel which is con-- caved. Each has the recesses I! and I1 which receive the ends of the non-metallic molding strips H and II, respectively, and each fits over the corner to provide a, neat finishing member of a very desirable nature.

A I claim:

1. A corner molding finishing member for a refrigerator having a fiat marginal inner door portion, a parallel fiat inner door lining, and inwardly inclined molding strips extending between said fiat marginal inner door surface and said flat inner door lining, said finishing member including an angular trough-shaped portion, a folded edge along each longitudinal side of said portion, a channel along acrelatively short pormember parallel to said first end member at the other end of said trough-shaped member to overlie a portion of said fiat marginal inner door portion.

2. A corner molding finishing member for a refrigerator having a fiat marginal inner door surface and an inner door lining, and inwardly inclined molding strips between said flat surface and said door lining, said finishing member including an angular trough-shaped portion, a

folded edge along each longitudinal side thereof, a relatively short channel adjacent each folded edge and including a base recessed inwardly from said folded edge, said channels being spaced from the endsof said trough-shaped portion, said channels designed to receivethe ends of said inclined molding strips, an end member extending at an obtuse angle with respect to said trough-shaped portion designed to overlie a portion of the edges of said molding strips adjacent said fiat inner door lining, and a second end member parallel to said first end member at the other end of said trough-shaped member to overlie a portion of said fiat marginal inner door portion.

3. In a'refrigerator, inner and outer metallic coverings having substantially rectangular edges in spaced relation, molding strips of relatively lowheat conductive material along said rectangular edges between the corners thereof supporting said coverings in spaced relation, a metallic corner member connecting adjacent ends of said molding strips' designed to overlie the ends of said molding strips to conceal the joint therebetween at the corner, said comer member 

